Cong You Bing / Chinese-style Spring Onion Pancake with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Cong You Bing is a Chinese-style unleavened flat-bread, commonly referred to as Spring Onion Pancakes. It uses very few ingredients and is quite easy to prepare and yet has a very remarkable flavour. The dough is a combination of water, salt and flour. This combined with sesame oil, spring onions, salt and pepper and then being toasted in very little oil creates a delicious snack. The recipe here is from a Chinese colleague from years back.

Prepare the ginger dipping sauce to dip in the flat-breads and give an extra "oomph!" to the already scrumptious bites. It is a good substitute for plain soy sauce dips. The fresh ginger, red chilly paste and rice wine vinegar makes it an absolutely delicious sauce. Use it with Gyoza or Sushi.The sauce is inspired from the many Chinese cookbooks I usually read.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes + resting time for dough
Cooking Time: Around 5 minutes for each Pancake

Ingredients
For the Flat-bread

• 2 cups plain flour, measured after sifting
• 1 cup boiling water (use as required to prepare to smooth, soft, non-sticky dough)
• 4 tsp sesame oil (or 2 tsp sesame oil + 2 tsp vegetable oil mixed)
• 1 cup spring onion, thinly sliced (reduce this if you do not want to bite on too many)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• vegetable oil, to cook

For Ginger Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup light salt-reduced soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup spring onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
• 3 - 4 tsp Sambal Oelek (adjust to taste)
• 2 tsp raw sugar (adjust to taste)

Method
For the Flat-bread
1. Sift plain flour with some salt to taste in a mixing bowl. Slowly add water to plain flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until a smooth, soft, non-sticky dough ball is formed. You may not need all the water. Knead the dough well for a few minutes. Cover dough with a damp cloth and rest it for at least 30 minutes but not more than an hr.
2. Divide dough into 4 balls of the same size. Roll out each dough balls into a circle, as thin as possible. Brush 1 tsp of sesame oil on each rolled out dough. Scatter 1/4 cup sliced spring onions evenly over the oil on each rolled out dough and season with salt and pepper. Roll up the dough (like a jam-sponge roll). Then coil it to form a spiral. Repeat for the remaining dough balls. Roll out each spiral doughs again to flatten it as thin as possible (which will actually be quite thick but not very thick).
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, brush around 1 tsp vegetable oil over the pan. Place uncooked flat breads on the pan and cook on both sides, for around 2 - 3 minutes on each side, until it becomes golden brown. Cut into wedges.
Serve hot plain or with ginger dipping sauce.

For Ginger Dipping Sauce
1. Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a bowl, whisk and keep aside.